My Secret to Flavor Without Fat? Caribbean Spices!

Being at the beach this week makes me reminisce about celebrating my 5th anniversary with Joe last year by returning to the spot of our honeymoon, Negril, Jamaica. We had an absolutely...

…fabulous time relaxing, snorkeling in the tropical waters, and of course eating!

As a dietitian, I love food and learning about food from different regions and cultures, so naturally I wanted to try some of the traditional Jamaican fare. The beautiful Sandals resort we were staying at catered to the American palate, providing an endless supply of pasta, meats, and hamburgers and fries, but thankfully, they also had a Jamaican restaurant on the property and offered Caribbean cuisine on several of their other menus as well.

I learned that traditional Caribbean food heavily relies on rice, beans, and seafood and that pasta, tomato-based sauces, and dairy foods are not widely consumed. Red meat is hard to find on the islands, and chicken and pork are much more common, which explained why our lobster, fish and jerk chicken were fantastic, but the steaks and burgers were just mediocre.

We enjoyed the array of tropical fruits that are common there, but exotic to us. Every morning I ordered a fruit plate as a part of our room service breakfast, and it was not uncommon to find passion fruit, mango, pineapple, and guava on the plate. Yum!!

But the thing I found the most interesting was how well the Jamaicans seasoned their food-full of flavor without adding loads of fat or salt. There is more of a focus on using spices as flavoring agents. Being a part of the West Indies, Jamaica’s spices are heavily influenced by India, but what makes Jamaican food truly unique is the fusion of the tropical foods like fruit, hot peppers, and coconut with the savory Indian spices like curry or ginger.

Some of our favorite dishes were curried lamb, Jamaican jerk chicken, and grilled fish with spicy mango salsa. Not for the faint of heart, these spicy dishes were full of flavor and kick-and absolutely delicious!! So next time you reach for the salt shaker or the stick of butter, let your mind drift to the Caribbean and be inspired to add healthier flavor to your food! Even if you can’t take a trip to the tropics right now, you can set sail in your spice cabinet to a world of exotic flavors and aromas! Below, I have listed a few of the common spices used in the Caribbean and suggestions on how you can try them out for yourself. Enjoy!

Ginger: Ginger has a strong spicy-sweet flavor and can be used in Asian dishes, to season meat, poultry, or seafood, used in squash or pumpkin recipes, or even to season cookies, breads, and cakes.

Curry Powder: Curry powder is a blend of spices and has a distinctive savory flavor. It can be used to season rice, lamb, poultry, eggs, and vegetables.

Allspice: Allspice, called pimento in Jamaica is one of the primary ingredients (along with scotch bonnet peppers) in jerk seasoning. Allspice, which is grown in Jamaica, has a flavor and aroma that is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Is great to use as a part of a spice rub for various meats and poultry. It can also be used in various baked goods and when preparing French dressing, beets, baked beans, carrots, and squash.

Thyme: Also a major ingredient in Jamaican jerk seasoning, thyme has a distinctive taste almost like cloves, and it’s strong taste pairs very well with spicy foods. It can be used to season green beans, eggplant, carrots, zucchini, soups, sauces, and cheese spreads.